(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automated manufacturing systems and, more particularly, to an apparatus for precisely and automatically cutting a garment piece from a roll of fabric stock for subsequent automatic assembly into a finished sleeve or pant leg for a sweat suit or the like.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The manufacture of textile clothing articles such as sweat suits and outer garments has resisted automation. This is due largely because of the difficulty in accurately handling so called xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d materials. For example, the fleece material commonly used in sweat suits may wrinkle, stick to one another and stretch significantly when handled.
Even where automation has begun to make in-roads, other difficulties remain. For example, sleeves and pant legs must be sewn xe2x80x9cinside outxe2x80x9d in order to make a garment having clean seams. This has always been a manual operation because of the dexterity required to locate the cut fabric piece, inspect it for defects and feed it into the sewing machine. Unfortunately, repetitive actions such as sewing a garment may cause health problems. However, it has been extremely difficult to design a device which can reliably locate, inspect and cut a fabric piece for subsequently finishing a garment piece such as a sleeve or pant leg time after time.
Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus for automatically cutting a sleeve or pant leg for a sweat suit or the like which will operate reliably time after time while, at the same time, it can be carried out completely automatically without the need for a skilled operator.
The present invention is directed to a fabric cutting system for cutting a pre-selected pattern from a fabric stock and transferring the cut fabric piece to a workstation. The system includes a cutter assembly for cutting the preselected pattern from the fabric stock. A configurable pickup assembly is located between the cutter assembly and the workstation and adapted to pickup and transfer the cut fabric piece to the workstation.
In the preferred embodiment, the pickup assembly includes a vacuum plenum having at least one generally flat surface; a plurality of orifices arranged about the surface; means for selectively closing at least a portion of the orifices generally corresponding to the shape of the cut fabric piece; and a controller attached to the vacuum plenum for positioning the vacuum plenum, whereby the cut fabric piece is picked up and transferred to the workstation.
A hold down table adjacent to the cutter assembly maintains the position of the fabric stock in a determinable relationship to the position of the cutter assembly and the configurable pickup assembly. In the preferred embodiment, the hold down table is vacuum operated and includes a moving mesh belt on which the fabric stock is moved downstream towards the pickup assembly as the fabric piece is being cut by the cutter assembly. This arrangement results in substantially higher throughput through the fabric cutting system.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a fabric cutting system for cutting a preselected pattern from a fabric stock and transferring the cut fabric piece to a workstation. The system includes: (a) a cutter assembly for cutting the preselected pattern from the fabric stock; and (b) a configurable pickup assembly located between the cutter assembly and the workstation and adapted to pick-up and transfer the cut fabric piece to the workstation.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a configurable pickup assembly for picking up a cut fabric piece and transferring the cut fabric piece to a workstation. The pickup assembly includes: (a) a vacuum plenum having at least one generally flat surface; (b) a plurality of orifices arranged about the surface; (c) means for selectively closing at least a portion of the orifices generally corresponding to the shape of the cut fabric piece; and (d) a controller attached to the vacuum plenum for positioning the vacuum plenum, whereby the cut fabric piece is picked up and transferred to the workstation.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a fabric cutting system for cutting a preselected pattern from a fabric stock and transferring the cut fabric piece to a workstation. The system includes: (a) a cutter assembly for cutting the preselected pattern from the fabric stock; (b) a configurable pickup assembly located between the cutter assembly and the workstation and adapted to pick-up and transfer the cut fabric piece to the workstation, the pickup assembly including: (i) a vacuum plenum having at least one generally flat surface; (ii) a plurality of orifices arranged about the surface; (iii) means for selectively closing at least a portion of the orifices generally corresponding to the shape of the cut fabric piece; and (iv) a controller attached to the vacuum plenum for positioning the vacuum plenum, whereby the cut fabric piece is picked up and transferred to the workstation; and (c) a hold down table adjacent to the cutter assembly to maintain the position of the fabric stock in a determinable relationship to the position of the cutter assembly and the configurable pickup assembly.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.